


Blue Spirits

by FoiblePNoteworthy



Series: Guilt (The Jet Adopts Zuko AU) [8]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Angst, Episode: s02e08 The Chase, Gen, There are emotions, a lot of the angst youve been expecting, idk how to tgag this one rn, some shits gonna go down
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:08:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,307
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26621164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoiblePNoteworthy/pseuds/FoiblePNoteworthy
Summary: “Jet, you fucking idiot, what did you do?”Longshot’s voice was startling, as it always was.
Relationships: Aang & Zuko (Avatar), Azula & Zuko (Avatar), Freedom Fighters & Zuko (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Jet & Zuko (Avatar), The Gaang & Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Guilt (The Jet Adopts Zuko AU) [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1557868
Comments: 99
Kudos: 466





	Blue Spirits

**Author's Note:**

> this is short and late i am sorry i am in uni again and just got wifi back today so lets see how this goes

The sight of the approaching ostrich-horse sent a thrill through Jet, his nauseating guilt overwhelmed by the need to collapse in relief and jump for joy. He did neither _._ Unwilling to wait, Jet sprinted across the dusty plains, only pausing to take out his swords and hold them into the light, before tossing them aside. He vaguely felt the others do the same behind him, but couldn’t focus on anything but Song’s heavy footsteps and greeting calls.

_He was okay._

Upon reaching his friend, he grabbed his reins to bring him to a stop, half dragging him from his perch, too-small apologies and half-baked explanations falling from his mouth without his knowledge or permission.

His joy crumbled when he saw his face.

Pale and red and wet with misery, eyebrow scrunched up into a tight frown even as his mouth formed inelegant sobs, he fell into Jet’s arms with only the slightest hesitation, letting him carry him to the ground beneath them. The others crowded around, Smellerbee curled into his side while Longshot held a bare inch between them, close enough for Li to feel his presence.

Li was too exhausted to be afraid of him. That thought scared him almost as much as his confusion pained him.

They stayed there, holding him close, as the sun set behind them. At some point Li cried himself out and fell asleep, but they were careful not to move him until they were certain he wouldn’t wake up again.

He awoke a scant half-hour later, his split second of calm passing under their collective watch before he remembered how he had fallen asleep in the first place. They were at his side instantly, managing to soothe him before the sobbing could begin again.

Surrounded by his friends in an achingly familiar embrace, each of them routinely reminding him to breathe, half-panicked themselves out of concern for him, Li managed to avoid giving in to hysterics.

Rubbing one hand up and down his upper arm, Jet asked, “Do you want to talk about it? You didn’t have to if you don’t want to,” _you really do have to, please talk to me, don’t let this fester,_ “But I think it might help.”

Li pulled in a shuddering breath, tensing and untensing under their collective hold.

They backed off a little, giving him his space.

He pulled Smellerbee into his lap, clutching her tightly, like a child holding their favourite toy. He squeezed her gently, head sat upon hers. “She. She used to be so small,” he said, with new streams of tears running down his cheeks but steady enough breathing. “I think she cared about me once, before she knew better.”

His grip became tighter, fervent, protective. “I thought it would be easy, after I burned her. But I was supposed to protect her, and I...”

Horror dropped like a stone into Jet’s stomach. “Li? Li, who was she?” Jet already knew the answer to his question, but he couldn’t bear to ask, to know, what had happened to her.

Li shook his head, gripping Smellerbee – gripping the younger girl – harder. The hold looked near painful.

“Li, what did you _do_?”

*** _Two Days Earlier_ ***

“Jet, you fucking idiot, what did you do?”

Longshot’s voice was startling, as it always was. They must have caught up with him, then. He shouldn’t have left them to collect all their stuff alone, but he couldn’t bear the thought of Li’s little dust-cloud disappearing from his view.

But it was gone now, and he was sat in the dirt watching the spot where it used to be, hollow at the sight of the empty horizon.

“I- I thought-”

Smellerbee smacked his arm, stood over him in all of her four-foot-eleven glory, the desert sun darkening her shadow. “Jet, it’s _Li._ How could you even-”

“I thought he was on fire.”

She froze for a long moment, then unlocked her knees and joined him on the ground, her breath leaving her in a big whoosh. “Well, fuck.”

“I wasn’t trying to – I just _reacted_ -”

“I know, Jet. It’s okay,” she patted his hand, her eyes older than usual in a way he appreciated more than he should. He was supposed to be the leader here and… he’d fucked everything up so badly.

He was always telling Li to accept their support, and not listening to them had only caused problems that morning. He needed to practise what he preached - to listen more often. Taking no council before was what got them into this mess in the first place.

 _Spirits_ , if he hadn’t started listened to Li back in the tent…

(Tu was a very small child, smaller than most of his kids had ever been, not just in size but in youth; their innocence somehow preserved through the war. Jet had been younger than them when he’d stopped being a child. He pushed down the prickle of envy.)

A thought struck him suddenly. “He’s mixed,” he said, before he could stop himself. It was Li’s business to reveal, but at this stage they knew he was either mixed or…

Well, Smellerbee and Longshot had probably figured it out for themselves, all things considered. It wasn’t as though there were any other options.

“Colony, I’m assuming,” he added. “I never asked for details, but he’s noble so I assume he was kowtowing to his father for so long to try to get control of his lands. Bet his mother was the princess of his area of some such.”

“That makes sense,” Smellerbee said, Longshot nodding over her shoulder.

“He’s still Earth,” Jet said, just to make sure they understood.

“Anyone as stubborn as him could only be Earth.” Smellerbee held his hand, scooted closer so their knees touched. Longshot stepped close enough that Jet could almost feel his warmth, and he appreciated the attempt.

(Despite the increase in hugs recently, Longshot had remained a good two feet’s distance from everyone at all times. Jet didn’t mind it - would mind it a lot more if Longshot made himself uncomfortable for their sake – and just tucked away the moments he came closer into a corner of his heart.)

“He’s one of ours,” Jet said, to feel it in his mouth. Longshot’s shadow nodded on the ground in front of him.

Smellerbee leaned her shoulder into him. “He’s one of ours.”

***

This was fine.

Everything was fine. Everything would be fine.

Zuko reached into his inside pocket, hoping to soothe himself with uncle’s tile. (No matter what else happened, he would always have Uncle. Jet hadn’t even made him get rid of him.)

His pocket was empty. He’d given Uncle to Jet. Offered in exchange for Tu, a stranger that Jet let live without asking anything in return, a courtesy he didnt extend to the friend that he-

Not his friend anymore, he supposed.

It was a good thing that Tu was alive of course, he could never begrudge them that. It was a wonderful thing that Jet could look past his prejudices for them. They _deserved_ it. (He _loved_ them.)

Li had thought he _deserved_ it too.

(Li had thought Jet had… but it didn’t matter now.

He had experience in being alone.

This was fine.)

***

Smellerbee stood, pulling Jet up with her by their still joined hands. “Come on. We need to keep moving.”

Jet looked away from the empty horizon - glanced at Longshot, who squinted into the distance. He returned his gaze; nodded once. Jet smiled. He couldn’t see Li, but Longshot still could.

He was still there.

“We won’t catch up in time, will we?”

Longshot shook his head but walked on regardless.

They might not be able to follow Li into battle, but they would be there to patch him up in the end.

(He just had to survive that long.)

They walked on.

**Author's Note:**

> kudos comment subscribe 
> 
> gonna be honest idk what the update schedules gon be like with this one. its hard and i have a lot of other wips, in this fandom and now in the magnus archives (im sorry i didn't plan on falling in love with that series so hard just gimme a month or two to get it out of my system)  
> my current plan is to get /something/ out every 2 weeks. no promises on what.
> 
> [My tumblr](https://foiblepnoteworthy.tumblr.com/), wherein i do avatar themed art (and now tma art im sorry) and all abut my writing sometimes


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